Modern camera systems such as movie cameras or video cameras include a lens assembly which is adjustable in order to set and vary a number of lens parameters such as the iris opening, the focus and the zoom of the lens assembly. The setting of the iris opening, the focus and the zoom is performed by adjusting lens rings of the lens assembly of the camera system. For this purpose and to achieve an easy and reliable adjustment of the lens assembly, functional devices are attached to the camera system and are engaged with the lens rings of the lens assembly, the functional devices being in particular a follow focus drive to continuously adjust the focus of the lens assembly, a zoom drive to adjust the zoom, an iris drive to set the iris opening, and a lens support to hold an additional lens.
EP 0 574 105 A1 discloses a control system for a camera system featuring functional devices for adjusting the zoom, the focus and the iris setting of a lens assembly of the camera system. Each functional device is connected to a control unit which allows controlling the operation the functional devices.
In particular, functional devices are attached to a camera system using a holding assembly. Such a holding assembly features a bridge plate connected to the camera, support rods extending in parallel from the bride plate and holding elements to connect the functional devices to the support rods. The bridge plate is attachable for example to a stand such as a tripod. In general, the holding elements feature cylindrical guide holes, which can be slid onto the support rods and are guided by the support rods in order to attach the functional devices to the camera system and adjust the position of the functional devices relative to the lens assembly of the camera system such that the functional devices can be brought into engagement with the lens rings of the lens assembly.
Such holding assemblies have the disadvantage that their handling is cumbersome and impractical. For example, in order to remove a functional device connected to a holding element located close to the bridge plate on the support rods, other holding elements must be removed from the support rods, so that the holding element with the functional device can be slid from the support rods. Thus, to remove one functional device from the camera system in order to replace it by a different functional device, other functional devices must also be removed from the camera system, which in general is inconvenient and time consuming.